Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Detection / Identification of bed bugs
Best method for monitoring couch?
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HelpinDC
junior member
Joined: Dec '10
Posts: 107offline
Posted 2 years ago
Tue Jan 18 2011 17:06:52
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I am crossing all my fingers and toes that our bed bug problem is over, but am trying not to get my hopes up too high because I know how quick and hard they can come crashing back down.
The latest development on my story is that we found one live, blood-engorged adult bed bug on the wall above our couch 8 days after our heat treament (1 day after our downstair's neighbor's heat treatment). Two days after finding this bug one PCO came to our apartment with a dog and found nothing. Later that day another PCO came to our apartment and sprayed pesticides. Four days later, I am ever so hopeful that the bug that we found was just a "straggler" and that our problem is over.
I've posted a lot about my couch, which seemed to be the favored congregating spot for the bugs in our apartment. Every time that I was bitten, I was on the couch. My husband has no reaction to bites (or doesn't get bitten, I don't know). To monitor our situation, I purchased a bed bug beacon CO2 detector and placed it on the floor next to the couch. After 3 nights, I've found nothing in the trap. I was beginning to celebrate this success until I read posts on this forum indicating that the beacon may not be successful in catching bugs in light infestations and/or that it may take 10 days of monitoring to catch a bug.
My initial strategy was to put out the beacon for 5 days, wait a few days, and then put it back down for 5 more days. I only have 10 days (maximum) worth of CO2 production and really don't want to spend any more money on refills. I am worried that, even if the bug we found was a lone straggler, that she could have laid eggs before we found her. (hence my reasoning for waiting a few days inbetween)
Now I'm wondering, though, if the climb-up interceptors would be better at detecting bugs in and around the couch? It sounds like they would be, if the bugs are indeed climbing up and down the couch. But what if they're burrowed in the couch or living in the back of the couch? I would love to just purchase a set for the heck of it, but am really running out of money!
Final question - I know that the bed bug beacon is designed for a room that is not being used by people. We do use our couch by day, but each night I've made sure that we were out of the living room, with all lights off, by about 10PM. Should the beacon work in this situation? What about pets? If there is a cat sleeping on the couch at night, would this mess up the results?
I lied - one more question!
Before all of this happened, my husband often would fall alseep on the couch and then come to bed in the middle of the night. During treatment (we were intially treated with 3 pesticide applications), I forbid him from doing this. In fact, we completely avoided the couch during this time. Since we put out the monitor, I've also kept him from doing this. There were some times, however, inbetween our first round of chemical treatments and the heat treatment, and then also inbetween the time from our heat treatment until we found that bug, that he did sleep on the couch. He does not react to bites, and perhaps his intermittent presence on the couch is why the bugs haven't moved to our bedroom?Would I be better off keeping him off the couch at night and sticking with the bed bug beacon monitor or by letting him sleep on the couch and using the climb-up interceptors?
Of course, the best way is for me to fall asleep on the couch and see if I get bitten, but I really don't want to do this! I'm really hoping that my last bite was my last one for good!
Thanks everyone!
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HelpinDC
junior member
Joined: Dec '10
Posts: 107offline
Posted 2 years ago
Thu Jan 20 2011 11:25:24
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Hmm. I found a live bug this morning but still haven't caught anything in my bed bug beacon. I've had the beacon out for 5 nights and haven't caught anything. I will say, though, that I found the bug ina different room than the beacon is located. (These are the only 2 rooms we've ever found them in.)
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